BORIS Johnson who’s batting to be the next PM claimed he was more a “Ian Botham” rather than Theresa May’s cricketing hero Geoffrey Boycott.
The comparison was a coded attack on May because Boycott was famed for his slow and methodical approach while “Beefy” Botham was a flamboyant all-rounder.
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Bojo was speaking after the latest Tory leadership hustings event in Carlisle, which was also attended by political rival foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt.
When asked by host LBC’s Iain Dale if the UK will get the “100 per cent full-on Boris as prime minister” or whether he will feel constrained in Downing Street.
Mr Johnson said: “I think that there is one way to do this thing now, if I may venture a cricketing metaphor, I think we’ve had quite a lot of Boycott on the wicket and it is time for Botham to come in.
“That is my view.
“Particularly in the EU negotiations, we cannot have the same old, same old. We cannot have a can-kicking approach.
“We kick the can, we will kick the bucket, we’ve got to get on and do this.”
I think we’ve had quite a lot of Boycott on the wicket and it is time for Botham to come in
Boris Johnson
Mr Johnson also insisted that Brexit ‘done properly’ would safeguard the Union which he dubbed England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as the “awesome foursome”.
Hunt meanwhile risked a backlash by claiming he saved the NHS during his controversial time as Health Secretary.
Hunt also vowed not to hold a General Election until Brexit has been sorted.
He said: “I promise you this as a campaigner, as your prime minister I will not take us into an election until we have done two things.
“First of all get more young people to vote Conservative.
“We can’t be the party of aspiration unless we get the most aspirational people in our country supporting us and that is a big, big change, we need to do that, and I have got the policies to make that happen.
“Secondly, we need to be absolutely clear that we will not provoke a general election until we have left the European Union.
‘”We cannot go back to the people and ask for another mandate until we have delivered the mandate that they gave us last time.”
Hunt also slammed Mr Corbyn as “anti-British” and “ruthless — and compared him as the “crocodile lurking under the surface of British politics”.
He said: “We must not let him in.”
Bookmaker Coral said Hunt remains the outsider in the race for Number 10 at 5/1 with Mr Johnson now 1/8 with the bookies.
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